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Dominance in dogs: Is this REALLY a source of behavior problems?. Yes, no or maybe?. Blackwell, et al., 2008. Behavior problems = Widespread Most common cause of dogs abandoned, relinquished to shelters and euthanized Behavior problems = behaviors that are Problematic Undesirable
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Dominance in dogs:Is this REALLY a source of behavior problems? Yes, no or maybe?
Blackwell, et al., 2008 • Behavior problems = • Widespread • Most common cause of dogs abandoned, relinquished to shelters and euthanized • Behavior problems = behaviors that are • Problematic • Undesirable • Often include anxiety for the dog!
Genetics or Learning? • Is this genetics? • Widely accepted that certain breeds have more undesirable behaviors • Even specific undesirable behaviors • Is this due to poor socialization? • Dogs have good visual/auditory awareness • Dogs are highly social • Dogs can learn easily • Could these behaviors be due to improper training/inappropriate training or lack of training? • Low knowledge of dog behavior? • Data are mixed! Support all of the above
Data DO suggest that • Training reduces or eliminates problematic and undesirable behavior • Dogs that attend obedience classes with their owners are reported to have fewer problem behaviors • Positive only programs reveal further reductions • Mixed programs in between • Aversive programs do not reduce, but may increase problem behavior
The study • Used a convenience sample: • People out walking their dogs • People visiting a vet clinic in the UK • Completed a survey that asked about • Demographic info • Type of trianing with the dog • Age at first training • Location (home or center) • Type of training: • Puppy socialization, agility, obedience, manners, etc. • Method of training • Positive, punishment or mixed
The study • Survey asked about 36 behaviors that commonly perceived to be problematic or undesirable. • Rated on a scale of 0 (never) to 4 (frequently) • Tried to phrase behaviors positively: • Does your dog not come back when called on a walk? • Does your dog chew or destroy items when you are out of the house? • If answered yes to item, asked if it was considered a problem
Results • 192/250 questionaires returned • 67% female respondents • Age of owner 20-60; most within 41-60 age group • 71% of dogs lived with 2 or more adults • 43% lived in home with NO children • Number of dogs in household ranged from 1-5 • 38% in 2 dog house • 6.8% with 2 other dogs • 2% lived with 3 other dogs • 2% lived with 4 or more dogs • 52% in single dog homes • 15% of owners were first time owners
Results • Dogs ranged in age from 1 to 15 years old • Median = 5 years • Male to female ration = 52% to 48% • 58% of males neutered • 65% of females spayed • Only 19% of dogs were reported to be mix breeds • All UKKC/AKC dog groups were represented • Gun dogs = 35% • Pastoral breeds: 18% • Terriers: 12% • Hounds: 8% • Toy breeds: 3% • Utility breeds: 2% • 71% of dogs acquired as puppies (>3 mos) • 72% acquired from breeder • 20% from shelter • 2% bred dog themselves • 6% obtained dog from other sources
How analyzed Survey: • Categorized training into 3 categories: • Positive reinforcement • Negative reinforcement • Positive punishment
Undesirable behavior categorization: • Temperament vs. behavioral strategy • Aggression, avoidance, attention seeking • Presence or absence of any behavioral response within specific contexts or targets • Being left alone • Reaction to other dogs • Control score: • Noncompliance behavior • Goal-directed behavior
Training Classes • 88% received some form of training • 58% trained at home • General obedience attended by 40% • Puppy socialization class: 27% • Agility or flyball: 12% • 5% of dogs taken to handling or showing classes • Type of training: • 16% used positive only • 12% used combo of positive reinforcment/negative reinforcement • 32% positive reinforcement/positive reinforcement • 40% used combo of all • 72% of owners used some form of positive punishment
Undesirable Behaviors • Mean number of potentially undesirable behaviors per dog: 11.3 • Range of 0-29 • 3 dogs reported to have no problem behavior
Undesirable Behavior • Three categories of behavior problems: • Mean aggression score: 0.22 • Mean fear/avoidance score: 0.27 • Mean control score: 0.43 • 34% of dogs showed problem behavior during separation • 15% showed problem behavior to other dogs within a household • 80% showed inappropriate response to unfamiliar people • 13% undesirable response when told off
How many problems reported by owners • 76% of owners reported their dog had at least one problematic behavior • Most common behaviors not necessarily most problematic • Only 18% of owners had sought help for problem behavior: sought help the most for: • control problems • Aggression to unfamiliar dogs • Aggression to unfamiliar people • Jumping up • Who did they ask for advice: • 32% a vet • 9% a vet tech/nurse • 26% an animal behaviorist • 47% a dog trainer • 9% a relative or friend • Also reported asking rescue shelters, breeders and books
Relationship between training classes attended and occurrence of problem behavior • Attendance at any type of training class did NOT significantly affect total number of undesirable behaviors exhibited by a dog • Attendance in puppy socialization associated with reduction in reaction to other dogs outside the home • Association with informal home training and increased aggression • No relation between control problems and attending classes
Relationship between training methods and occurrence of undesirable behaviors • Significant relationship between categories of training methods and total number of problem behaviors, including • Attention seeking • Fear/avoidance • Aggression • Positive only training methods correlated with fewest behavior problems • Highest attention-seeking scores found to correlate with combination of positive reinforcement/negative reinforcement • Highest mean avoidance found in combo methods • Highest mean aggression: combo of punishment with positive reinforcement • Control problems, separation problems, compulsive behaviors and undesirable response to family members not correlated with training • Aggression score significantly higher in dogs when owners used any form of punishment • Also showed more aggression to other people/dogs outside of home • More likely to show aggression when told off
Other influences • Age of dog: • Younger dogs show more behavior problems • Attention seeking behavior higher in younger animals • NOT Fear/avoidance • Breed of Dog: No significant effect • Sex of dog: no significant effect • Origin of dog: breeder dogs showed significantly fewer problem behaviors than dogs from rescue • Particularly separation anxiety • Also no relationship between problem behaviors and • Previous experience of owners • Number of children in household, except for separation issues • No kids = more separation anxiety • Stealing food related to more kids
So, do you agree or disagree? • Do you think this sample reflects the typical dog owner population? • Do you agree with the training correlations? • Why few/no correlation with age, sex, breed, etc.? • What other factors may account for this? • Genetics? • Other interaction/social factors?
Bradshaw, et al. Dominance: does it matter?
What is dominance? • Dominance: • Character trait of an individual dog • Top of hierarchy • Other dogs defer to this dog • Eats first, gets treats first, gets person first • Achieve high rank in any inter or intra species grouping • Dog training programs often suggest that HUMAN must be the dominant “alpha”
Scientific definition • “an attribute of the pattern of repeated, agonistic interactions between two individuals, characterized by a consistent outcome in favor of the same dyad member and a default yielding response of its opponent rather than escalation. The status of the consistent winner is dominant and that of the loser subordinate” (Drews, 1993)
So what is the problem • Is dominance a trait or a process? • What is a “dominant” dog? • Have prior access to resources • Pecking order • Absence of aggression vs. presence of display signals that threaten aggression • Is it temporary or continuous? • Does it change depending on the group? • Does it only apply to PAIRS of animals or the whole group? • Are the animals aware of the hierarchy, or is it merely a mechanism for humans to describe the pack?
Wolves and dominance • Often assumed have a strict hierarchy • Also assume dog = wolf • These assumptions often wrong • Several problems with early studies: • Wolf pack = unrelated animals not natural pack • Typical hierarchy may not really be typical • Lockwood (1979): general hierarchy • But: aggression not related to dominance!
Wolves and dominance • Data suggest that there is a mated pair that is typically most dominant • But these 2 are cohesive and leaders • Not aggressive • More aggression among lower status vying for attention from higher pair
Feral Dogs • Probably best conspecific • Van Kerkhove (2005): review of feral (domestic) dogs • Pack structure very loose and evolving • Rarely involves cooperative structure or co-parenting • Pal et al (1998, 1999, 2003, 2005) • Feral dogs in West Bengal • More coherent social groupings • But: consist mostly of RELATED dogs (kin!) • Little aggression • Breeding was relatively constant, not controlled by status
What do wild dog/wolf studies show? • More dominance hierarchies if related • Little aggression: very subtle signaling instead • More aggression during breeding season • Males most aggressive when females in estrus • Females most aggressive when raising pups • Aggression is not as deadly as with wolves • Wild dog packs did not show “wolf-like” dominance, but much more individualized
Bottom line: • Domestication radically changed social behavior of dogs • When have opportunity to interact and breed freely • Do NOT form exclusive kin-based groupings • Do not follow wolf-pack social system • Mating is competitive • Less sophisticated sociality than wolf • Submissive behavior used to defuse conflicts rather than used for group cohesion • Pair bonding is retained • Will share territories with family members/ocassional outsiders.
Neutered Dogs • Does neutering change things? • Bradshaw, et al (unpublished data): examined group of unrelated but permanent neutered dogs • Examined group interactions for dominant behavior: • Competitive behavior: confident or submissive • Examined dyads • No clear cut hierarchy • Instead seemed to be hierarchy between PAIRS • Did not vary by age, weight, length of time in group
Bradshaw, et al, con’t • Did not show wolf pyramidal hierarchy but less structured hierarchy: • Were 8 insiders • Were 3 hermits • Rest were outsiders • 8 insiders did not have clear hierarchy but interacted mostly with one another • Outsiders interacted more often with insiders than other outsiders, but did not “win”
Resource Holding Potential (RHP) model • Separate physical fighting ability (RHP) from likelihood of competing in given set of circumstances • Not require any kind of prior relationship between competitors • Typically seen in territorial disputes or first encounters • Outcome of disputes depend on subject value of resource to the individual competitors
Resource Holding Potential (RHP) model • RHP does not explain dog behavior, though • Domestic dogs do not attend to size, age, etc. • Depends on upbringing and experience • Also depends on how humans interact with the dog • VERY interesting for us as trainers • What is the take home message?
How to pick the Best Guide Dog • What makes a good guide dog: • Obedient • Good at problem solving • Good temperament • Easily trained • Physically able for task • On task most of time • Lack of fearfulness
Temperament testing, etc. • Temperament tests • Determine lack of anxiety/fear • Better with older dogs • Serpell and Hsu: C-BARQ • Physical measurements: • Laterality: motor lateralization tests • Lefties and ambidextrous dogs more likely to show fear • Cortisol studies support this • Some say coat color, so the authors will examine this
Study: • Subjects: 105 trainee dogs from guide dog program • Tests: • Temperament test: • Social contact test • Passive test • Chase test • Noise test • Distraction test • Sudden appearance test • Lateralization tests: • Tape test (tape on nose) • Kong test • Salivary cortisol test • Put dogs into pass or fail group depending on status at time of testing • Tested dogs when they failed out • Tested dogs when they completed training • Different ages for all of this
Results: • Stepwise regression analysis • Eliminate non-significant factors each time • Test 1: 3 factors found: • Latency to drop in passive test: shorter latency to drop = more likely guide dog • Latency to rest: greater latency to rest = more likely guide dog • Occurrence of jumping (dog distraction test): absence of jumping = more likely guide dog
Results: • Test 2: 3 factors found: • Laterality index from tape test : higher LI = more likely guide dog • Rate at which both paws used in Kong Test: lower rate of both paws = more likely guide dog • Pulling on lead during dog distraction test: lack of pulling = more likely guide dog • Test 3: 2 factors: • Both paws on Kong test • Dogs color • Covaried with: other factors
What does this mean? • Must make sure that temperament tests DO predict behavioral traits • What was best predictor? Passing guide dog training! • But: laterality and lack of fearfulness also seemed important • Need to determine if laterality and fearfulness covary: could laterality PREDICT fearfulness • Brain functions may be related • May be that dogs with less laterality are showing more bilateral processing • Age was critical factor: these behavioral traits do not seem fully developed before 14 mos, and 20 mos is even better. • Why is THIS important?
What does all of this mean for us? • “Dominance” is ever changing • Depends on circumstances • Dominant dog in one situation does not mean dog will be dominant in another • Multidog houses are not “families” from a dog’s point of view- and this is important • Fear and laterality predict trainability (for guide dogs, at least): must determine if these go together and WHY they go together • Is fearfulness an innate trait or a learned trait? • Is it the old diathesis stress model: genetic predisposition, then environmental interaction?